Declare Ahmadi Sect Non-Muslim: J&K Grand Mufti

4 May 2012Outlook

Srinagar: In a shocking move, Kashmir's mufti azam (grand cleric) Mufti Muhammad Bashir-ud-din has demanded a legislation to declare the Ahmadi sect of Kashmiri Muslims as 'non-Muslims'. The demand was unanimously made by the Muslim religious leaders of Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Personal Board in a meeting convened and headed by the grand cleric on May 2, 2012. Astoundingly, the grand cleric said that the Islamic Sharia Council had made it clear that in all parts of the world Qadiyanis or Ahmadis were declared non Muslims. 'And they should be declared as non-muslims here as well.' Without any irony, the Grand Mufti added the Ahmadis were already declared as 'non-Muslims' in Pakistan during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's tenure as prime minister. The Ahmadis have been receiving threats on charges of blasphemy in Pakistan. “That will address the grievance of all the people in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” he shockingly asserted, adding that the move had become imperative in the face of the “believers of Mirzaiat and Qadiyaniat only having increased their activities.” A handout issued at the end of the meeting added, “On the issue of increasing activities of the believers of Mirzaiat and Qadiyaniat, the Islamic Sharia Council has made it clear that in all parts of the world Qadiyanis have been declared non Muslims. Hence, Mufti Azam appealed all legislators of Jammu and Kashmir “to pass the bill in coming Assembly session to declare them non Muslims in our state as well so that grievance of all the people of state is addressed.” Ahmadiyya is a reformist movement within Islam, founded in British India towards the end of the 19th century, originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed (1835-1908) of Qadian in Punjab. Mirza Ghulam Ahmed claimed that he was the divine reformer and the promised Messiah and Mahdi awaited by Muslims. The followers of this school of thought are called as Ahmadis. The Ahmadi sect is a minority in the Sunni dominated Kashmir valley. According to some estimates, Ahmadis, in the valley, are not more than a few hundred people. The Ahmadis have already been the target of a sustained attack, and the J&K Grand Mufti's latest statement is not only bound to make matters difficult for an already beleaguered minority, but also fuel the already competitive politics of Islamisation in the state.